


snowfall

by chininiris



Series: feel again [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Sharing a Bed, Touch-Starved, kind of, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-23 02:16:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23004151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chininiris/pseuds/chininiris
Summary: By the time they make it to Hebra, Zelda still isn’t used to feeling.“Something wrong, Your Highness?” Link inquires, genuinely concerned as he looks back at her, his horse riding ahead to lead the way.“Yes,” is all she says, but he continues looking at her for clarification. Zelda needs to say something to him, anything, lest he thinks it’s his fault. “Everything is... Too much. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s almost as if my body is oversensitized.”His horse slows to match hers, trotting side by side through ankle-high snow. “I understand the feeling.”
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Series: feel again [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653274
Comments: 4
Kudos: 129





	snowfall

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Breath of the Wild Day :^)

In the century Zelda spent trapped inside Hyrule Castle, holding back Calamity Ganon day in and day out with her newly awakened power, she hadn’t been certain that she was human anymore. There had always been something off about it, though it was only registered in the back of her head amidst the sense of urgency that had taken her whole. 

When she was standing again in Hyrule Field in the aftermath, even the blades of grass gently caressing her bare ankles seemed like sharp nails scratching her skin. All sensations were heightened to a point where it was nearly unbearable. A bug hit the side of her face once and she had startled so badly that she stumbled with a yelp. 

Zelda did her best to take it in stride, trying to ignore the thunderous beat of her heart whenever Link held her hands to help her up, his skin battle roughened and warm. She spent many nights sitting close by the fire to enjoy its warmth again, Link not far behind pretending to be asleep. 

The once cool water of Zora’s Domain made her skin prickle as if the liquid was made of frozen needles, but she shivered and embraced the sensation, glad to be able to  _ feel _ again. Prince Sidon had grown up so much since the last time she saw him, and Zelda couldn’t help but wonder how Mipha would look like right now, had she had the chance to grow old. 

Even with elixirs, the heat of Death Mountain still made her light headed. Yunobo was a sweet guy, but he fretted over her too much. It didn’t help that Link hovered as well, but Zelda was done with pushing him away. 

By the time they make it to Hebra, Zelda still isn’t used to  _ feeling _ .

Link guides her horse by the reins, both their mounts following along the path on their own, both tamed well by his patient hands. Her steed is the same pure white as her previous horse had once been, and just as regal, adorned with purple and gold.

Atop her horse, Zelda is hidden within a bundle of blankets, only part of her face visible through the furs and fabrics that shield her from the cold winds. All these layers should have been enough, and yet her teeth are chattering and her gloved fingers seem nearly frozen. Link casts her a worried look, but she merely shakes her head, determined to push onwards. 

There are far worse places to be in this region. She had been to the Flight Range when Revali was testing his new technique, wild winds tossing her hair about her head until her braids had nearly come undone, and still it hadn’t been this cold. 

But determination can only get her so far. Once a stable is within their sights, it becomes nearly impossible to ignore the cold. Maybe she’s huffed in annoyance too much, or maybe her chattering teeth are so loud that Link himself can hear them, but he tugs on the reins tighter and gets their horse moving faster.

“We should stop for now,” he says, and she doesn’t fight back.

The warm interior of the stables is a blessing. Link braves outside to cook her a simple stew as the man behind the counter gives her as many spare blankets as he can. She hoards them all on the bed closest to the hearth and shivers some more until Link returns with a bowl in hand. 

Two servings of stew and some tea later, Zelda fully lies down on the bed to sleep and ignore the cold as best as she can. Link remains awake, talking to a traveling merchant with a peculiar beetle-shaped bag on his back. 

“Maybe we should go back,” he says the next morning as she’s having scrambled eggs and more tea for breakfast. 

“We’re not going back,” she says with finality, placing down the mug she had been given. Link frowns, but doesn’t fight her, and thus they resume their journey. 

Zelda will never admit it, but she should have listened to him, especially when they’re caught in a flurry of snowflakes some hours away from the stables. Link looks at the overcast sky like it’s a minor nuisance, and meanwhile she’s positively fuming beneath the many layers wrapped around her. Her ear twitches slightly in annoyance, and she’s glad her long hair can help hide her ears from the cold and keeps them warm.

She recalls the many times she studied the geography of Hyrule, hours pouring over maps in her quest to awaken her sacred power, and calculates how much longer until they reach Rito Village. If the geography remains unchanged after a hundred years, unlikely but this is all hypothetical, then it should take... 

Two days. 

“Ugh.” She glares at the tip of her nose where a snowflake rests, and turns her head to brush it away in the soft fabrics.

“Something wrong, Your Highness?” Link inquires, genuinely concerned as he looks back at her, his horse riding ahead to lead the way. 

“Yes,” is all she says, but he continues looking at her for clarification. Zelda needs to say something to him, anything, lest he thinks it’s his fault. “Everything is... Too much. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s almost as if my body is oversensitized.” 

His horse slows to match hers, trotting side by side through ankle-high snow. “I understand the feeling.” 

Zelda can only blink at him, feeling rather stupid. “Oh.” Of course, much like herself, Link had slept for a long, long time. While she is pretty sure her body and spirit found a way to separate from one another this past century, Link had been on the brink of death by the time he was taken to the Shrine of Resurrection. “How did you deal with this?” 

“It was hard,” he replies honestly, blue eyes sweeping over the snow covered scenery on the lookout for danger. “Muscle memory kept me alive. Hylia knows how hard it was to wake up to a foreign voice and have your mind wiped clean of memories.” 

He offers her a wry smile, and she returns it in kind. “The first few weeks were the hardest. The rain, the sun... The bug bites were specially awful. It was like some part of me was burning up.” Link is quiet for a moment, hand brushing over his horse’s mane. “But there were some things that balanced out all these... Highly unpleasant sensations.” 

“Like what?” She asks, eager to find something, anything to make this more bearable. 

“Like having your favorite meal for the first time again.” He smiles, and her heart skips even though there is no physical contact between them. “I bet you haven’t stopped to savor your food since that day.”

“I really have not.” Zelda had been too overwhelmed by the world around her to pay attention to the different tastes and textures of her meals. “Is this why you eat so much nowadays?”

“Hah, yes, I guess you can say that.” Link lifts his hand and points to the ruins of an abandoned village, broken pillars and walls blending in with the landscape. “We’ve been traveling for long enough. Let’s stop for the night.” 

The ruins don’t compare to the stables, but he finds a house that is mostly undamaged and guides her inside. Link drops a bundle of firewood to the ground and lights a fire, instructing her to sit close to it as he gets the horses settled somewhere else. He doesn’t need to tell her twice. Zelda scoots closer, seeking the warmth of the flames.

Link’s cheeks are flushed pink when he returns, and hers are likely the same. Still, she can’t help but think that he looks rather cute when he blushes, hair brushing along the pinkened skin as he toasts slices of bread over the fire. He places a glass bottle of milk by the logs to warm it up, along with two apples to bake until they’re fragrant and soft. Zelda nibbles on the toasted bread as he transfers the apples to a plate to drizzle them with honey. 

It’s quiet, but not in the tense, awkward way it used to be. Zelda is much more comfortable around him now, and she wishes she could have enjoyed their budding friendship for longer before Calamity struck. There’s no time like the present, however, and she wants to make amends. 

“It was delicious. Thank you.” The apples were a simple treat that considerably brightened her day, even if it’s nearly over by now. She took his advice to heart and savored the meal, finding at it really did bring her some comfort.

Link arranges the sleeping supplies a safe distance away from the fire. When they have to camp, he never settles down close to her bundle of blankets, maintaining that respectful distance that had been drilled into him in his years as knight. Today, he places most of his blankets with hers, and she only notices as much when she’s covered up to the chin and he sits by the fire again with a single sheet around his shoulders. 

“I’ll be fine,” he reassures when she asks if he’s planning on resting as well. “I need to keep watch.” 

She frowns, but no amount of protests gets him to change his mind. Zelda snuggles deeper into the cocoon, and though the ruins of the house provide them with enough shelter and the fire is burning bright, shivers still wrack her body. She curls deeper into herself, but it does little to help. 

Zelda doesn’t know how long she lies there until she’s had enough. “Link?”

“Yes, princess?”

“Could you-” This is embarrassing, but she’s read about it in survival books before, and it sure feels like her body is close to turning into a Zelda shaped icicle. “Could you... Sit here?” 

He makes an inquisitive noise, turning his head to face her. His face is unreadable, and she wants to curse his ability to slip into a stoic mask when he pleases. “I am... I am cold, and I have read that sh-sharing body heat helps.” 

Link tilts his head in consideration, and not even the heat of mortification warms her up enough. “You really must be cold if you’re stuttering.” 

“Y-Yes.” Let him think it’s the cold, for Zelda isn’t sure it’s just her embarrassment that’s messing with her speech.

He walks over, silently dropping down on a patch of blankets, a thoughtful frown on his face. “Maybe it would be best if I lied down.” 

She freezes for a moment, halfway through picking herself up to a sitting position. She would be happy just sitting by his side and relishing in some of his warmth, but if he’s willing to lie down, then... “It would be easier, yes.” 

Zelda scoots backwards to free up some space, sucking in a breath when a gust of cold air seeps beneath beneath the blankets as he slips under, but as soon as the fabrics fall into place, Zelda feels incredibly warm.

Link is like a furnace, his body radiating heat that could rival the fire, probably. Yes. “S-Sorry,” she murmurs as she closes the distance between them, tucking herself into his side and hiding her face into the curve of his shoulder. She exhales, glad that she’s finally found some relief from the cold.

“It’s no problem.” Zelda is too distracted by the fluttering feeling in her stomach at their closeness to notice that he’s lying there as stiff as a board, his eyes to the worn out ceiling. 

Cozy as she is, Zelda is quickly lulled to sleep, aided by the smells of smoke and grass that seem to cling to his clothes. 

**Author's Note:**

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